Accessory for garment ironing operations



Feb. 17, 1942.- J. w. STEELE 2,

ACCESSORY FOR GARMENT IRONING OPERATIONS Filed July 2, 1938 I INVENTOR a ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 17, 1942 ACCESSORY FOR GARMENT IRONING OPERATIONS James W. Steele, North Kansas City, Mo.

Application July 2, 1938, Serial No. 217,206

2 Claims.

This invention pertains to improvements in shirt ironing and finishing operations, such as those involved in garment factories and laundries, and relates particularly to the ironing and finishing of the body of the garment or shirt just prior to the folding of the same in the final stage of the process.

The primary purpose of the invention is to devise means for retaining the garment or shirt in such a position for operation that the regular ironing or finishing treatment may be carried out without producing wrinkles or objectionable creases in either the front or the rear face of the garment; and for accomplishing this result in the present case the invention employs means for holding the front portions of the shirt in such relation as to accommodate the extra fullness in the rear portion of the shirt, throughout the period of the operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method in which not only is the necessity obviated for buttoning the garment for any purpose, but the practice of the method further serves to maintain the button and buttonhole portions in a spread or separated and unbuttoned condition which facilitates proper inspection of these portions of the garment.

The invention further provides suitable and effective means or devices for facilitating the carrying out of the principal objects of the improved method.

With the foregoing and other incidental objects in view, the invention will now be described by reference to the accompanying drawing,

wherein is illustrated the improved method or procedure as well as the devices utilized therein, after which those features deemed to be essentially novel and patentable will be particularly set forth and claimed.

In the drawing- Figure 1 is a plan view partly broken away, showing the working face of an ironing surface with a shirt arranged thereon in accordance with the practice of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a plan View, on a smaller scale showing the garment following completion of the ironing and folding operations and in folded relation to the folding appliances and with the latter in lowered position to show the lower portion of the shirt front and with the band which is applied thereto after folding;

Figure 3 is a similar view, in elevation, showing iii the folded shirt and said folding appliances in 55 raised position preparatory to removal of the finished product;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of an accessory in the form of a spacing and holding device constructed in accordance with the present invention; and

Figure 5 is an exploded perspective View of the same construction.

It is well known that the patterns of such garments as shirts, and the like, comprise a back portion or panel which is wider between the side seams than the combined width of the front portions or panels when their button and buttonhole pleats are overlapped for buttoning. Thus, if the garment is laid over the ironing surface in the usual manner, with said pleats in overlapping relation, and the side seams defining the sides of the garment at the sides of the ironing surface, this results in a fullness in the back of-the garment and hence in the formation of Wrinkles and creases in the back of the garment when its front portions are ironed smooth. While this result can not be completely eliminated because of the pattern of the yoke portion of the shirt between the sleeve openings, I have found thatthe desired result may be very closely approximated by carrying out the ironing operation with the back of the shirt spread as completely flat on the ironing surface as possible between the side seams, and correspondingly spreading the front portions of the shirt upon said flat and practically smooth back panel. This can of course only be done by leaving the front of the shirt unbuttoned-that is, with the button and buttonhole pleats separated and spread apart from the collar on down the full length of the body of the garment while the ironing takes place; and for effectively accomplishing this separating and spreading function I have found it preferable to employ means for definitely engaging the pleats and positively maintaining the same in the proper spread relation to insure accuracy in the ironing operation.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, and more particularly to Figure 1, this illustrates a shirt which has been disposed with its back portion 6 stretched fiat upon the ironing surface I, the sides of said back portion or panel 6 being defined by the side seams 8 of the garment. The front portions or panels 9 of the shirt are likewise disposed fiat upon the upper face of said back portion 6 and without disturbing the side seams 8-which results in the button'strip or pleat l0 and the buttonhole pleat l2 being separated and spread apart along downwardly diverging lines, as shown. By this means, the fullness of the back panel 8, as compared with the front portion of the garment, is accommodated by the spread relation of the front sections of the shirt, so that the ironing operation can be carried out with the front and back portions in this superposed relation without producing and wrinklin or creasing of the back portion other than that which may be unavoidable on account of the peculiar fullness existing in the yoke between the armholes of the sleeves M.

For maintaining the separated or spread relation of the front portions of the shirt as illustrated in Figure 1, the neckband or the collar l5 may be fastened in any desired way, as by buttoning it, or the collar supported as shown, by means of a suitable collar supporting device I6. It is also preferable, for accuracy and neatness in the carrying out of the ironing and subsequent operations, to provide suitable means for positively maintaining the proper separated relation of the front pleats l0 and I2 (with their buttons and buttonholes 29 in unbuttoned relation); and to this end I employ a double clamping member comprising a bar I8 formed with lugs IQ for mounting a pin 20 which is embraced by the mid-portion of a leaf spring 2|. The opposite ends of this spring 2| carry approximately V-shaped spring clamping members having thumb-grip portions 22 and jaw terminals 23 in clamping relation to the ends of the bar l8said portions 22 being attached to the spring by means of lugs 24 and strips or bands 25, as shown in Fig. 4. Thus, the thumb-grip portions 22 are positioned for simultaneous engagement and operation by the operator for engaging or disengaging the device into and out of clamping relation to the pleats l0 and [2 as shown in Figure 1.

In the ironing of the garment its front is ironed first and then its back with the front of the garment faced down on the board, in the usual manner with tables of the type illustrated. The garment is then folded with the described spacing device preferably left in the position shown for insuring that the front and rear portions of the shirt shall remain in the same relative position in which they have been ironedthe sleeves l4 being first folded in the usual manner by use of the conventional folding devices or arms 32 shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and then the tail and body portions folded upon each other and these folded portions again folded up over the end of the fold board 33-that is, in folded relation to the upper or yoke portion of the garmerit.

Following this final folding operation, a suitable band 34 is strapped around the completely folded garment as shown in Figure 3, after which the pleat-spacer or clamping device may be removed and the finished product removed from the fold board 33.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that, with the shirt disposed upon the ironing surface in the manner above explained and as illustrated in Figure 1, so that the .side seams are spaced apart a distance representing the full width of the back portion 6 of the shirt and thus taking out the fullness of said back portion, and then disposing the front portions 9 flat and smooth upon said back portion and allowing the pleats l0 and 12 to spread apart so as not to disturb the smooth-lying position of the back portion 6, it is possible to iron both the front and back portions of the garment in this state without any wrinkling of the back portion or producing any objectionable creases therein. The use of the spacer device as shown enables the work to be speeded up by ensuring accuracy of the operation without any appreciable loss of time for inserting or removing the device after the proper mode of use of this has been acquired.

A further feature of advantage in employing the improved method, aside from the benefits due to a much more neatly ironed and finished product, is due to the fact that the button and buttonhole pleats are preferably left in their unbuttoned and slightly spaced relation, which of course exposes the buttons and greatly facilitates the work of inspecting the garments, to note the absence of any buttons, or other defects, as well as leaving the garment in an unbuttoned state, as preferred by the average customer who is thus saved the labor of unbuttoning it before using it.

While I have herein illustrated and described What I now regard as a preferred mode of practicing my invention, as well as satisfactory forms of devices for use therewith, I desire to be understood as expressly reserving the right to make such changes or modifications therein as may fairly be deemed to fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

Having thus described theinvention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. A garment clasping device of the character described, comprising a main body or spacing portion, a pair of approximately V-shaped clamping elements each having one of its arms terminating in a jaw for clamping engagement with one of the ends of said body portion and the other arm of each clamping element forming an outwardly projecting finger-engaging portion, the finger-engaging portions of the two clamping elements extending in adjacent relation for simultaneous engagement and operative movement toward each other for withdrawing the jaws of said clamping elements from clamping position, and a spring member attached to the mid-portion of said main body portion and also to the finger-engaging portions of said clamping elements and operative to maintain the latter in normally spread relation to effect the clamping action of said jaws.

2. A garment clasping device of the character described, comprising a main body or spacing portion, a pair of approximately V-shaped clamping elements, each having one of its arms terminating in a jaw for clamping engagement with one of the ends of said main body or spacing portion and the other arm of each clamping element forming an outwardly projecting finger-engaging portion, the finger-engaging portions of the LWO clamping elements extending in adjacent relation for simultaneous engagement and operative movement toward each other for withdrawing the jaws of saidclamping elements from clamping position, a spring element having its ends attached to the finger-engaging portions of said clamping elements and holding said finger-engaging portions normally in spread relation for effecting clamping engagement of the jaws, and a transverse pin carried by said main body portion in engagement with an intermediate portion of said spring element for holding the latter in anchored relation to said main body portion of the device.

JAMES W. STEELE. 

